Australian shows interest in International Premier Tennis

SYDNEY: Tennis Australia is investigating buying an Asian-based franchise in the planned lucrative International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) team tournament, a report said. The IPTL, the brainchild of veteran Indian tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi, is inspired by the television-friendly format of cricket’s IPL in India and will have teams of six to 10 players compete for six franchises dotted across Asia. Like the IPL, international players would be paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to represent city-based franchises, with the potential to disrupt the existing tennis calendar.